Tag: writing

Assistance dogs Australia is a national charity which trains Labradors and Golden Retrievers to help people with disabilities, providing them with greater freedom and independence.

These photos were taken at this years Sydney Graduation ceremony in Martin Place – where the pups were handed over from their ‘puppy raiser’ to their intended recipient 🙂

What a wonderful event it was. The fabulous Tim McCallum was the MC for the event and sang some beautiful songs that really tied the event together – there wasn’t a dry eye in the house – including mine…

Thanks for all you do Assistance Dogs Australia. I LOVE being around the dogs and am so grateful to be a part of your team

You all know how much I love flowers and gardens…well a couple of weeks back we visited Sutton Forest and Bowral in the Southern Highlands, NSW, Australia.

It was a particularly cool day but the gardens didn’t disappoint. First up we visited Red Cow Farm, a beautiful garden with lots of hidden garden rooms, a lake and somany glorious tulips. I took a stack of photos and we enjoyed meandering through the garden.

Our next stop was Milton Park, an amazing estate built at the turn of the 20th century by the Horden Family of retail & pastoral fame.

There are breathtaking views at every turn and the gardens are the most beautiful I have ever seen {seriously.}

I love the sweeping lawns {with grass so soft you could roll around for hours} cobble stone paths, rose gardens, mazes and hundreds and hundreds of flowers. Think tulips, camellias, roses, azaleas…..it is spectacular:)

The gardens of Milton Park have inspired painters and writers since the early 1800’s.

This photographer 🙂 was particularly inspired by the beauty and colour of this magnificent garden.

Enjoy the pics ~ remember to click on one to view them as a slide show.

The first part of the morning I used my ND {neutral density} filters to create slow shutter speeds and movement blur in my photos….I love the effect the slow shutter has on the water – each photo is so individual…the swirling water looks like mist and gives the image an ethereal look.

So, what is a neutral density filter and what does it do?

As you all know {well I’m hoping you do} to SLOW DOWN YOUR SHUTTER SPEED you need low light….
So at dawn, dusk or night time, it’s easy….
But during the day {when the sun is shining :)} even if you set your camera to a small aperture {like f20} and your ISO way down to 100….sometimes the shutter speed is STILL NOT SLOW ENOUGH to record movement and blur within a photograph.

So, in comes the neutral density filter {ND FILTER.}

There are several different types of ND filter on the market. Circular threaded screw-onND filters are the simplest to use, but have the disadvantage that stacking them together soon leads to vignetting issues.

A more recent innovation are variable Neutral Density filters, which screw onto the lens but have an adjustable outer ring, which you rotate to adjust the density depending on the light conditions and the effect you want.

Variable Neutral Density Filter

Slot-in filters require you to first attach a filter holder to your lens via a ring adapter {the same size as the diameter of your lens – in my case – 77mm}, then insert square or oblong filters into the holder – the chief advantage is that, once set up, it’s easy to swap filters, stack them or add different kinds of filters to the mix. Slot-in filters are usually the most expensive option when purchasing ND filters.

Here’s my Lee slot-in filter set up below.

Lee adaptor and holder attached to the front of the lens

Lee .9 ND filter inserted into holder.

It’s SUPER easy to use the slot-in ND filter system.

I have 4 filters –

.3 – reduces the s/speed by 1 stop.

.6 – reduces the s/speed by stops.

.9 – reduces the s/speed by 3 stops.

‘The little Stopper’ – reduces the s/speed by 6 stops.

So, how do they work?

Lets say you meter a scene at f22 and the s/speed is 1/250 sec in Manual mode.

Now, insert the .3 {1 stop} ND filter into the holder on the front of the lens. Roll the shutter speed dial till the exposure level indicator meets in the middle. The s/speed will now be 1/125 sec – 1 stop slower than 1/250 sec.

Remove the .3 filter from the holder.

Now insert the .6 {2 stop} ND filter. Roll the shutter speed dial till the exposure level indicator meets in the middle. The s/speed will now be 1/60 sec – 2 stops slower than 1/250 sec.

Remove the .6 filter from the holder.

Now insert the .9 {3 stop} ND filter. Roll the shutter speed dial till the exposure level indicator meets in the middle. The s/speed will now be 1/30 sec – 3 stops slower than 1/250 sec.

Remove the .9 filter from the holder.

See how it works? You can also stack the filters in front of one another in the holder – eg
I could insert the .3, .6 & .9 filters into the holder and reduce the shutter speed by 6 stops -{1 +2+3 = 6 stops.}

Another really cool thing about ND filters is that they enhance the colours and will create more contrast in your image.

So, experiment with ND filters and different shutter speeds to achieve some really cool effects in your images:)

Click on each pic to view as large image…..

The second half of our shoot I experimented with FAST and SUPER FAST shutter speeds. Using the Canon 70-200mm zoom lens in AV mode, I raised the ISO to 640 and varied the aperture from f5 to f7.1. The shutter speeds ranged from 1/800 second up to 1/5000 sec. Don’t you just love the frozen action of the waves?

Click on each pic to view as large image…..

If you have any questions about ND filters, please email me at bernasconiphotography@gmail.com

Chris 🙂

P.S If you would like to connect with me on Instagram – click here, Facebook – click here& Twitter – clickhere.

Don’t you just love autumn? The colours, the textures and the way the plants change….

This year in Sydney we’ve had a really warm autumn….25 degree days – for the last couple of weeks – even as I speak – today is going to be 25 degrees again!!

I thought I might have been a bit late to head up to Mount Wilson and photograph the colours…but they surprised me….when you are way up high the temperature really does its thing to the trees and landscape…

Here are some pics I took yesterday at two ‘Open Gardens’ at Mount Wilson…. ‘Windy Ridge’ and ‘Breenhold’ – Ray and I really enjoyed soaking up nature and being in the open spaces of these awesome properties.

I shot with two cameras {Canon 5d mk 11 and 5d mk 111} – I had my 24-105mm and my 100mm macro on both canon cameras – {thanks Ray for helping me with them.}

I’ve just returned from a month in the Arctic {more about that later – and yes, it was sensational.}

I added a couple of new lenses to my kit before going away, one of them being the sensationalSigma 150-600mm F/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens.

I hired the previous model of this lens when I visited the Antarctic a couple of years back and overall wasn’t very happy with the sharpness of the lens. Everything on the latest model – Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens – has improved significantly, especially the image sharpness. I am ecstatic with the results 🙂

Here’s the rundown:

Overall build and cost

The build of the lens is SUPER SOLID and is very well designed. It retails for around $2245 AUD and at this price, it makes a very welcome addition to your kit.

The 150 to 600mm sports lens is heavier than most of the opposition. Weighing in at 2.860kg, this is not a lens that you want to hand hold for long periods of time. I used a monopod whilst we were on the land. In the zodiacs, I either stood up or sat and used my elbow and the side of the zodiac to take the weight of the lens.

The lens features dust and splash proof construction and a water & oil repellent coating on the front and rear glass elements of the lens.

The lens is packed in a very substantial padded carrying case and features a VERY SOLID LENS HOOD which offers great protection to the front of the lens {especially with rain, splash and general knocks etc.} and can be reversed over the barrel for transportation. The overall length of the lens {with the hood reversed} is 121.9 x 289.6mm. This lens fitted easily into my Lowepro Pro Runner RL x450 AW rolling camera bag.

With the lens zoomed to 600mm and the hood attached, the entire lens grows to 480mm in length {be prepared for lens envy.}

The filter size is 105mm {not many suppliers will stock this size.} I had to really hunt around to source the UV filter for this lens.

This lens is available in a Canon, Nikon and Sigma mount.

The only annoying aspect of this lens was for some reason Sigma didn’t supply a lens cap? I purchased one direct from Sigma for $20AUD.

Focal Length

At 150mm to 600mm, this lens suits wildlife, distant landscapes, street scenes, sports photography and more. I could capture a complete iceberg at 150mm {as they were a fair distance away.} However, I used the lens at 600mm for most of the trip to photograph wildlife and closeups of icebergs and mountains.

Aperture range

F5-6.3 to F22. This lens has a ‘variable max aperture’ which means that wide open aperture exposure settings will change as the lens is zoomed from 150mm to longer focal lengths.

Image sharpness

Using the lens at 600mm required faster shutter speeds to deliver sharp hand held results. At times I used a monopod, but most shots were taken in a moving zodiac, standing up, with the lens at full 600mm zoom.

The lens has ‘image stabilization’ but I did find I had to increase the ISO to obtain a fast shutter speed to freeze the action. The results were fantastic. 9 out of 10 shots were ABSOLUTELY TACK SHARP.

Take a look at these shots for sharpness!!

It was easy to photograph this harbour seal at 600mm. He hardly knew I was there. F6.3 1/320 sec ISO 1250.Now for a close up of the whiskers 🙂 Super sharp huh?And the eye…again, tack sharp.Here’s an iceberg in Greenland. Taken from a moving zodiac. Focal length 600mm. F11 1/2000 sec ISO 640.Now, lets zoom in…still sharp!This shot was taken on a research station near Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Note where the weather station is 🙂 F8 1/250 sec ISO 200.Here’s the weather station taken at 600mm on the Sigma lens. F8 1/1000 sec ISO 400.This is the zoomed in shot..Super sharp!

Conclusion

If you are looking for a SUPER SHARP, AFFORDABLE telephoto lens – then this is the lens for you. Yes, it’s heavy {always use a tripod or monopod and you’ll be fine} but the IMAGE SHARPNESS is the real WINNER.

I am super impressed! Rush out and buy it now. Right now 🙂

If you have any questions about this lens, please email me at bernasconiphotography@gmail.com 🙂